About to begin my port replacement project on my 28 CK (#4, 1979) and have a question about the teak plywood on the inside of the coachtop. Of 8 ports, the one over the galley sink has leaked to the point that the plywood has rotted and delaminated.

Has anyone removed the plywood altogether? Is it attached with contact cement, thus ensuring it will come out in splinters?

I’m mulling pulling it all out and painting the area with white epoxy, or replacing with a white composite beadboard paneling, or perhaps simply removing the rotted area and patching in a new piece of the same plywood. I’d love to hear your experiences.

The ‘new’ ports are New Found Metals bronze. Previous owner bought them many, many years ago but never installed them. They’re a bit bigger in every dimension vs the original plastic ports.

The previous owners had removed headliners and the side trim. Fiberglass cabin top ground and sanded down and painted. My wife and I removed the liners in the shelves. We then cleaned and painted the fiberglass. I was concerned I would have condensation around the ports as the cabin sides are not cored, but have not seen it. Mind you, we are Florida based. I think we have only sailed a few times under fifty degrees and water temp is over sixty and usually closer to eighty.

I have f28 ck 1980 Hull #10. My sides are cored . You might have a problem with side thickness and ports. Make sure, if you keep the wood, that your mounting bolts are long enough. I replaced plywood in v-birth and I patched rotten spots everywhere else using bongo 2-parts wood repair product from Home Depot. When dry you can sand it and it has texture of the wood. Almost indistinguishable from surrounding plywood. I have ash/light colored interior, not teak. However the wood repair compound comes in different colors.Hope it helps.

Pulled the four ports on the port side over the weekend. Previous owner resealed over the years using (thankfully!) about a tube of silicone per port. They all came out with a minimum of cursing. The New Found Metals replacements that came with the boat look like they’re going to fit with minimal cutting-basically just rounding out for the larger spigots.

The plywood beneath the furthest forward and aft ports is bad and needs replacing. I’m going to piece in 3/8 ply and veneer, then paint the whole area between the teak trim strips white.

Any suggestions for paint? I know I want at least semi-gloss to make wiping down easier. Guessing I need oil based since I don’t really know if the existing wood has ever been oiled or otherwise treated. Some folks say house paint, but Rust-Oleum marine paint is $14-$15 a quart at Lowe’s.